Financial Information

Tuition and Fees - All Campuses (Non-LTSS)

Tuition

Room and Board

Undergraduate Full Time on Campus

Tuition and Fees - Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary

Tuition

Housing (Open to ALL Columbia Students)

Full Time on Campus

Note 1: A 9.00% tuition reduction is given to all ELCA Lutheran Seminarians who do not qualify for any other discount program (see Special Programs section for more information).

Health Insurance

Domestic Student Health Insurance is not available through Lenoir-Rhyne. International Student Health Insurance rates are as follows:

Other Fees

Students will be assessed other fees for the services indicated below:

Auditing Fee: $275.00 per credit hour. Students who audit a course must receive permission from their advisor and the instructor of the course. Students who audit courses do not take examinations or participate actively in class sessions. Audits are recorded on the student’s permanent record as a grade of AU. The fee for auditing a course is listed above. Students who audit a course and then elect to test out of that course must pay the full tuition for the academic credit earned. Normally, only lecture courses may be audited. Certain courses (lab classes, language classes, physical education activity classes, etc.) are not eligible for audit.

Course Fees: some courses have additional course fees to cover additional expenses. Course fees are noted in the course description for each individual course and/or on the course syllabus received at the beginning of each course.

Credit by Examination Fee: $200 per examination.

Room (Housing) - Hickory Campus

Lenoir-Rhyne provides semi-private rooms for all interested students at the rate listed above (which includes room and board). Additional room charges are as follows:

Single Room Rate

The opportunity exists for upper-class students to obtain a single for a fee (listed above) in addition to the regular, shared room rate. This opportunity exists only on a space-available basis.

Residence Hall Damage Deposit

Rental of a residential area is a contractual agreement, and rooms will be rented only to full-time students. A signed housing agreement is required before students are allowed to occupy a room. A one-time residence hall damage deposit of $150 will be assessed with the fall semester billing. This deposit is refundable after a student ceases to rent a residence hall room.

Board (Food Service) - Hickory Campus

The University offers food service to students in three main locations: the Cromer Center Dining Hall, the Bears’ Lair food court, and Joe’s Coffee. The Dining Hall offers all-you-care-to-eat dining at every meal. Meals are served in the Dining Hall only during times when the University is in session. The Bears’ Lair features made to order grill and deli items, Subway, grab and go sandwiches and salads, and assorted beverages.

The University offers the following meal plan options for residential students:

Plan #1: Unlimited + 7

• Standard Room & Board Plan plus $85.00 per semester
• Unlimited meals per week in the Cromer Dining Hall
• 7 Meal Exchanges per week in the Bears’ Lair, Joe’s Coffee, and POD Express
• $250 Bear Bucks (declining balance) per semester

Plan #2: Unlimited +6

• Standard Room & Board Plan plus $45.00 per semester
• Unlimited meals per week in the Cromer Dining Hall
• 6 Meal Exchanges per week in the Bears’ Lair, Joe’s Coffee, and POD Express
• $200 Bear Bucks (declining balance) per semester

Plan #3: Unlimited +5

• Basic Plan - included with standard Room & Board rate
• Unlimited meals per week in the Cromer Dining Hall
• 5 Meal Exchanges per week in Bears’ Lair, Joe’s Coffee, and POD Express
• $100 Bear Bucks (declining balance) per semester

*Bear Bucks can be transferred from fall to spring, but expire at the end of spring semester.

The University offers the following meal plans for commuter students*, faculty and staff:

*All full time undergraduate commuter students are automatically assessed a $120 Declining Meal Plan balance each semester. If the student uses all funds they may add more funds to the Declining Balance or purchase one of the meal plans above.

All charges for Meal Plans include any applicable NC Sales Tax. The declining balance can be added at any time and for any amount.

Payments and Refunds

Statements provided to students and/or parents prior to the beginning of the semester will reflect charges, credits, deposits, and a pro-rated portion of financial aid known at the time the statement was generated. Balances on accounts unpaid after the due dates listed on the statements are subject to finance charges that accrue every 30 days at a rate of 1.5% per month. Accounts that are past due may be turned over to a collection agency at which time additional fees may be incurred. The charge for returned checks is $25.

Any students who have a prior unpaid balance on their account at the time of registration will not be permitted to register for new courses, receive copies of transcripts or their diplomas, live in a residence hall, or receive meals in the university cafeteria.

Deposits are credited to the first payment in a session. Students who do not matriculate or who withdraw within the first two weeks of a semester forfeit their deposit. Room charges are not refunded and board charge refunds are pro-rated on a weekly basis. Tuition charges are refunded based on the following:

Withdrawal from classes: Course charges are based on the student’s registration as of the end of the Add/Drop period. No refunds will be given for course withdrawals after the end of the Add/Drop period except in the case where the student officially withdraws from the University.

Withdrawal from University: Students who withdraw from the University must drop all courses by completing forms with the Office of Student Success and Retention.

The refund percentage is based on the official withdrawal date - the date in which the student initiated withdrawal from the university with the Office of Student Success and Retention. A fair and equitable refund will be calculated according to the University Refund Policy as follows:

Tuition Refunds for Fall & Spring Semesters

Tuition Refunds for Summer Semester

*Note: for Maymester refund schedule, please contact the Office of Student Accounts.

Prior to a refund check being issued to a student who withdraws, the University must first determine if any of the Title IV Financial Aid Programs need to be repaid. According to federal guidelines, the amount of refund due to the financial aid programs must be repaid before a refund check will be given to the student. Lenoir-Rhyne reserves the right to modify the refund policy to comply with federal, state, and other regulatory bodies.

Refunds to Title IV Financial Aid Programs are distributed in the following order:

1. Unsubsidized Federal Stafford Loan
2. Subsidized Federal Stafford Loan
3. Other federal aid programs.

Withdrawal after the mid-point of the semester is granted only under extraordinary circumstances. Extraordinary circumstances may include death in the immediate family, severe illness of student, severe financial hardship due to loss of employment, or unforeseen major property loss. Supporting documentation will be required.

Return of Military Tuition Assistance

Military Tuition Assistance (TA) is awarded to a student under the assumption that the student will remain enrolled for the entire period for which the assistance is awarded. When a student withdraws, the student may no longer be eligible for the full amount of TA funds originally awarded.

As such, and to comply with the Department of Defense policies and regulations, Lenoir-Rhyne University will return any unearned TA funds on a prorate basis through at least the 60% portion of the period for which the funds were provided. TA funds are earned proportionally during an enrollment period, with unearned funds returned based upon when a student stops attending. These funds are returned to the military Service branch.

Instances when a Service member stops attending due to a military service obligation, LenoirRhyne University will work with the affected Service member to identify solutions that will not result in student debt for the returned portion.

Payment Plans

The University recognizes the substantial burden of paying for and financing higher education. In order to assist students and parents with this issue, the University offers a variety of payment plans that will assist students and parents in paying for tuition over the number of weeks within a particular semester. Payment plan options may be reviewed through the student’s myLR account by reviewing the “Make a Payment” screen. If you are interested in this service you can learn more by contacting (828) 328-7105.

Adjustments to Charges

Lenoir-Rhyne University reserves the right to adjust any and all charges at any time and to modify refund policies in order to maintain compliance with federal, state, and other regulatory bodies. In general, the university adjusts tuition and fees on an annual basis.